I should be in bed, but I felt like making a couple of comments on the budgeting front. First of all, I'm pretty proud of myself. I feel like I've always been a pretty good steward of my material resources... more accurately the resources with which God has entrusted to me. But, as I'm currently without a roommate (a state that could be prolonged, given my best prospect just got engaged this past weekend), I thought it wise to tighten the purse strings a bit and rely as little as possible on my "emergency funds" and savings. The two most troublesome areas of spending tend to be eating out and clothing (especially as of late, given the fact that most of my clothes no longer fit). A week and a half ago, I had $3 for about a week's worth of eating out. So, among other things, I had the opportunity to sit and watch my friends eat (quite a learning experience). It was kind of difficult at first. I never realized how humbling that can be. But, even more so, it seemed a great exercise in self-control. I had one friend offer to pay for my meal (which I quickly declined). There has to be an art to refraining from eating out but not allowing others to feel sorry for you. Eating out is such a social thing for me that I find that all very difficult. It really is easier to just whip out the debit card and carry on as per normal... instant gratification of the hunger pains and less socially awkward. All that to say, I made it... five days without so much as a cup of coffee out. :)
Also, I went shopping the other day for some black pants. I didn't find the pants, but I got a black skirt and another (bonus) skirt, which only cost me $5!! It is a freeing feeling to know that I have the money specifically allocated to make purchases like that. I've never worried about being able to afford the clothes I've bought, but I've always had a nagging feeling about whether I should be spending the money. So, that's cool. It was a bit awkward paying with cash, though, in this plastic age.
So... I'm learning some new things. Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks? ;)
2 comments:
"It was a bit awkward paying with cash, though, in this plastic age."
I smiled when I read this and couldn't help but thinking of a phrase that Dave Ramsey says over and over again.
"Live like no other today, so you can live like no other tomorrow."
Congrats on the cash system, I think it's definitely the way to go. I posted something to a news article...check it out.
Yay for CASH!!! I can't tell you how freeing it continues to be for me, and also exciting, like you said, to pay with cash that is allocated in advance for specific items. We've been on the cash system for two weeks shy of a year now, and again, all I can say is "Yippee!", and I love it when people ask me about why I'm pulling cash out of the envelopes and how I get to share a bit of those freeing feelings with them. Congrats!
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